British detectives losing patience with missing bishop

By Elias Hazou

THE LONG drawn-out wait for Limassol bishop Chrysanthos’ return now appears to be testing the patience of the Scotland Yard detectives who arrived on the island last week to investigate the controversial cleric’s involvement in a multi-million dollar fraud case in Britain.

Police sources yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that the detectives were frustrated with Chrysanthos’ long absence and had “considered” contacting Interpol in an attempt to locate the elusive clergyman.

The British police officers want to question Chrysanthos on his alleged role in a $3.7 million fraud. Three people have been arrested in the UK in connection with the case, and are understood to have implicated the bishop in the alleged scam. The bishop left Cyprus two weeks ago, just before the arrival of the British detectives.

Various rumours have placed Chrysanthos’ whereabouts anywhere from Athens to the Philippines.

Late on Tuesday night, Sotiris Karapatakis, the bishop’s lawyer, said that Chrysanthos would almost definitely be back by Saturday. This was the latest in a series of “extensions” given by Karapatakis on the bishop’s return date.

Chrysanthos is reportedly in frequent contact with his lawyer as well as with officials at the Limassol bishopric.

Justice Minister Nicos has suggested that the bishop may be waiting for the British detectives to leave before he returns. But it now seems that the men from Scotland Yard, Brian Hill and John Logan, have decided to extend their stay on the island until at least Saturday.

A basic matter of concern is what can be done while Chrysanthos is missing abroad.

Attorney-general Alecos Markides yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that he would “have to wait and see what comes up with the ongoing investigation” before he took any action. He did not rule out the possibility of issuing a warrant for the bishop’s arrest. As things stand, however, no formal charges have yet been made against Chrysanthos, meaning no legal action can be taken.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.